WNY police say Mexican man struck by car died a week later

A 27-year-old Mexican man died last month from injuries he sustained when a car pinned him against a wall in West New York, a town police officer confirmed.

Police Capt. Michael Zitt said Gilberto Hernandez died July 1 after slipping into a coma from injuries he suffered in the June 23 accident.

Zitt said Hernandez was walking down 62nd Street at 9:30 a.m. on June 23 when a 75-year-old woman lost control of the red Honda Pilot she was backing into a parking space, causing it to jump the curb.

The car hit Hernandez and pinned him against the wall of 453 62nd St., crushing his right leg and fracturing his pelvis.

Zitt said the woman, identified as a West New York resident, felt a sharp pain in her leg, which caused her to drop her foot on the accelerator and lose control of the car.

Fairview EMS transported Hernandez to the trauma center at Jersey City Medical Center, where his leg was immediately amputated, Zitt said, adding that Hernandez slipped into a coma from the shock and injuries, and never regained consciousness.

No criminal charges were pressed against the driver, but she received multiple summonses, including reckless driving, improper backing and unlicensed driving.

Zitt said he had no listed address or immediate family for Hernandez, whose family was eventually tracked down in Mexico. Hernandez's body reportedly was returned to his family in Mexico for burial.

Lazro Marquez, a vendor who works across the street from the site of the accident, said that in the days after the accident, a memorial was created for Hernandez around a divot in the wall of the building caused by the impact of the car, but the memorial has since disappeared.